Deck seat bracket

ABSTRACT

A railing bracket for attaching to a base portion of a deck for supporting a deck seat. Right triangle braces or seat supports are attached between the deck floor and the brackets. The lower portion of each bracket attaches to the outside of the deck base, and the upper portion of the bracket angles outward away from the deck base to provide a back rest. A deck stop protrudes from the deck side of the bracket and rests on top of the deck floor boards to enable consistent placement of the brackets to the outside perimeter of the deck base. Seat planks are attached across the top of the support braces, and back rest planks and safety planks are secured to the railing brackets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to decks which may be affixed to homes or similar structures, and more particularly to an angled bracket for supporting a seat and a back rest around the perimeter of the deck.

2. Description of Related Art

Decks are constructed various distances above the ground, and in most instances a railing is required around the perimeter of a deck for the safety of people on the deck. If a person were to fall off the deck because the railing failed, he or she would be severely injured, if not killed.

Many decks include only a deck seat around the perimeter of the deck which functions as a safety device and as a seat for people to sit on while on the deck. Rusting of hardware can be a problem with a deck over a long period of time whereby reduced metal parts is desirable along with plating of the hardware and use of oversized hardware. There is a continuing need for inexpensive, minimal parts, simple-to-construct, sturdy bench-type seat for attaching to a deck, so that such a deck seat can be easily assembled by homeowners doing a home improvement project or by contractors.

The following U.S. patents disclose bench-type deck seats of the prior art:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,471 issued Aug. 16, 1994 to Francis X. Graney of Tewksbury, Mass. discloses a method of constructing a seat for a wooden deck comprising a triangular seat brace, a deck floor side bracket, and an anchor joint bracket. Risers are attached to the perimeter of the deck via side brackets and the braces, and the braces attach directly to their respective risers. Planks are attached to the top of the braces and across the risers to form the seat portions and back portions respectively of the deck seat. However, the risers tend to protrude outward on the rear side of the seat which in some installations is not acceptable, and the wooden risers may split after a period of use causing an unsafe situation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,542 issued Aug. 25, 1981 to Ives L. Boisvert of Minneapolis, Minn. discloses a deck seat bracket connected to a base such as a deck, and the bracket supports a seat and a back joist of a bench-type seat. The bracket includes a quadrangular portion having a top which supports a seat and a bottom which attaches to a deck. An L-shaped portion extends below the quadrangular portion for supporting the bottom end of a back joist. However, all the weight of an occupant of the deck seat is directed to an edge of the deck. In some cases, a small portion of one board that forms at least one edge of the deck is destined to early failure and severe injuries to the seat occupant. The height of the seat and the weight of a person on the seat creates a large leverage that can be applied to the point where the back joist is attached at the edge of the deck.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a metal angled bracket for supporting the seat portion and the back rest portion of a deck seat around the perimeter of a deck.

It is another object of the invention to provide a railing angled bracket having a deck stop for consistent positioning of the bracket on the side of the deck.

It is another object of this invention to provide a deck seat angled bracket that protrudes approximately one inch away from the rear side of the deck seat.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a deck seat metal angled bracket that does not require welding during manufacturing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a deck seat with minimum assembly parts including all required hardware for safe assembly.

These and other objects are accomplished by a deck seat for a deck comprising a plurality of spaced-apart preformed angled brackets attached to a perimeter of the deck, a plurality of right triangle-shaped braces, each of the braces attaches between one of the plurality of preformed angled brackets and a floor of the deck, a first set of planks secured to a top portion of the braces to form a seat portion of the deck seat, and a second set of planks secured to the angled brackets to form a back rest portion of the deck seat. The angled bracket comprises a deck stop protruding from a predetermined position on the bracket to enable consistent placement of the bracket on the perimeter of the deck. The bracket angles away from the deck starting at the deck stop. Each of the preformed angled brackets comprises a first section extending to a deck stop protruding from a side of the bracket for mounting on the perimeter of the deck, and a second section extending from the deck stop at a preformed angle away from the deck.

The objects are further accomplished by a method for constructing a seat for a wooden deck comprising the steps of attaching a plurality of spaced-apart angled brackets to a perimeter of the deck, attaching each one of a plurality of right triangle-shaped braces between one of the plurality of preformed angled brackets and a floor of the deck, securing a first set of planks to a top portion of the plurality of braces to form a seat portion of the deck seat, and securing a second set of planks to an upper portion of the plurality of angled brackets to form a back rest portion of the deck seat. The method comprises the step of providing a deck stop on each of the plurality of preformed angled brackets, the deck stop protrudes from a lower portion of the bracket to enable consistent placement of the bracket on the perimeter of the deck. The step of attaching the plurality of right triangle-shaped braces to a floor of the deck comprises the step of bolting a floor end of each of the braces to an anchor member attached to a stringer under the deck floor. The step of attaching each one of a plurality of right triangle-shaped braces to one of the plurality of preformed angled brackets and a floor of the deck comprises the step of positioning a first side of each brace parallel to the floor planks, a second side of each brace perpendicular to the floor planks, and a hypotenuse side of each brace extends between the preformed angled bracket and the floor of the deck.

The objects are further accomplished by a bracket for a deck seat comprising a first section extending to a deck stop protruding from a side of the bracket, and a second section extending from the deck stop at a preformed angle relative to the first section. The bracket comprises channel steel.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended claims particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of this invention. The various objects, advantages and novel features of this invention will be more fully apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bench-type seat of a wooden deck having an angled bracket and triangular brace according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the angled bracket and triangular brace of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bench-type deck seat where the deck stringers are perpendicular to the seat;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the bench-type deck seat where the deck stringers are parallel to the seat;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an upper portion of the angled bracket of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of spaced-apart deck stringers showing placement of anchor members on the stringers.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a deck 10 with a bench-type seat 11, positioned around the perimeter of the deck 10, comprising minimal metal parts including an angled bracket 17, a right triangle brace or seat support 15, and an anchor member 19. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of the bracket 17 and seat support 15. The angled bracket 17 is bolted to perimeter stringers 12, 13 by bolts 22 that go through the stringers 12, 13 and affix to the understructure of the deck 10. One end of the seat support 15 attaches to floor planks or floor boards 14 and another end attaches to the railing angled bracket 17. The angled brackets 17 have back support planks 28 attached which serve as a back rest for the seat and a railing for the deck 10. A bolt 21 is inserted in a hole in the railing angled bracket 17 and connects to the right triangle seat support 15 which has a cross member 18 connected to the understructure of the deck 10 via a bolt 20. The bolt 20 is inserted into the anchor member 19 which is bolted to a stringer 9 by a bolt 30. Seat planks 26, which may be the same as floor planks 14, are bolted on to the top of the triangular seat support 15 by bolts 16 to form the seat. Back support planks 28 are bolted to the railing angled bracket 17 to form the back rest of the deck seat 11. Safety planks 48 are bolted to a lower portion of the angled brackets 17 to prevent children from rolling or falling off the deck 10.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a side elevational view of the bench-type deck seat 11 is shown where the deck stringers 13 are perpendicular to the seat plank 26. The triangular brace or seat support 15 has the planks 26 attached on top to form the deck seat 11 for someone to use. The angled bracket 17 has an angle 50 portion of approximately 15 degrees relative to vertical when the bracket is attached to the perimeter stringers 12, 13 of deck 10. It is bolted to stringers 12, 13 by means of bolts 22. The seat support 15 is bolted to the inside stringer 9 by means of the anchor member 19 below the deck flooring 14 or it is bolted directly to a stringer 13 depending on its location around the deck 10. The bolts go through the planks or flooring 14. The floor boards 14 alone do not provide sufficient strength to support the angled bracket 17 or the railing/deck seat 11.

It is to be noted that the seat support 15 is bolted several inches in from the edge or perimeter of the deck 10. This transfers the pulling tension to the stringers 9, 13 below the deck. After years and years of service, sufficient strength still remains such that the railing angled bracket 17 cannot be pushed or torn away from the side of the deck 10 regardless of the force or weight placed upon the railing/deck seat 11 arrangement.

When the bench-type deck seat is entirely assembled, it presents a minimum of steel which is not predominantly seen by the owner who stands on the deck, but instead the owner primarily sees the floor boards 14 and the seat and back rest boards 26, 28 that form the railing/seat around the deck 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, several of the railing angled brackets 17 are placed along the perimeter of the deck 10 at preselected intervals depending upon the thickness of the planks which form a deck seat 11. The spacing between angled brackets 17 is 32 inches maximum. The planks 28 are bolted or secured into the railing angled bracket 17 to form the back of the deck seat 11, and they are not critical as far as strength is concerned. The metal railing angled bracket 17 and support brace 15 are drilled to receive bolts. Planks 26 are bolted on to the top of support brace 15 to form the bottom of the deck seat 11. A safety plank 48 is attached to the lower portions of the railing angled brackets 17, to prevent a child from falling off the deck 10.

Referring to FIG. 4, a side elevational view of the deck seat 11 is shown where deck stringers 9, 13 are parallel to the seat planks 26. The stringer 9 is added approximately 10½ inches in from the edge so that anchor member 19 can be bolted to it for maximum support for support brace 15. Again it is seen that the triangular brace support 15 receives the tension from railing angled bracket 17 when it is pushed out and transfers that tension to the stringer 9 by way of anchor member 19 and bolts 20 and 30.

Other systems merely depend on bolting to the edge of the deck boards 14 and the stringer 13 along the perimeter of the deck 10. Obviously they will fail under any significant load placed on the railing angled bracket 17. The present system transfers the tension to the underdeck structure which remains strong throughout the deck's life.

Referring to FIG. 5, we see a top view of an upper portion of the railing angled bracket 17. The railing angled bracket 17 is typically made of channel steel, and it has a width 34 of approximately two inches, and a depth 38 of approximately one inch. The thickness or depth of the main body 36 between the outside edges is approximately ⅛ inches. A deck stop 40 is provided at the point where the bracket 17 angles outward away from the deck perimeter. The deck stop 40 is made by cutting and bending out a rectangular portion of the main body 36 of the angled bracket 17. The deck stop 40 provides for a consistent vertical positioning of the angled bracket 17 around the perimeter of the deck 10 by resting on the top surface of deck planks 14.

Referring to FIG. 6, a top view of the spaced-apart stringers arrangement for a given deck 10 is shown having stringers 13 laid out parallel to each other 16 inches (l) apart. However, special stringers 9 have been added 10½ inches (l′) in from the edge of the side of the deck 10 that is parallel to the stringers 13 to receive anchor members 19. Also, cripple joists 44 are provided between stringer 13 and stringer 9 for positioning anchor members 19 to secure support braces 15 when the deck railing seat 11 is normal to the stringers (i.e., not parallel to them). Adding stringers 9 makes sure that tension is transferred from the railing brackets 17 all around the deck 10 uniformly whether the railing brackets 17 are affixed to a side of the deck 10 that is normal or parallel to the stringers 13 below the deck and insures that the tension is transferred in at least 10½ inches from the edge of the deck 10 all around.

This invention has been disclosed in terms of a certain embodiment. It will be apparent that many modifications can be made to the disclosed apparatus without departing from the invention. Therefore, it is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of this invention. 

1. A deck seat for a deck comprising: a plurality of spaced-apart preformed angled brackets attached to a perimeter of said deck; a plurality of right triangle-shaped braces, each of said braces attaches between one of said plurality of preformed angled brackets and a floor of said deck; a first set of planks secured to a top portion of said braces to form a seat portion of said deck seat; and second set of planks secured to said angled brackets to form a back rest portion of said deck seat.
 2. The deck seat as recited in claim 1 wherein said angled bracket comprises a deck stop protruding from a predetermined position on said bracket to enable consistent placement of said bracket on said perimeter of said deck.
 3. The deck seat as recited in claim 2 wherein said bracket angles away from said deck starting at said deck stop.
 4. The deck seat as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said preformed angled brackets comprises: a first section extending to a deck stop protruding from a side of said bracket for mounting on said perimeter of said deck; and a second section extending from said deck stop at a preformed angle away from said deck.
 5. The deck seat as recited in claim 1 wherein said deck comprises a safety plank attached to a lower portion of each of said angled brackets.
 6. A method for constructing a seat for a wooden deck comprising the steps of: attaching a plurality of spaced-apart angled brackets to a perimeter of said deck; attaching each one of a plurality of right triangle-shaped braces between one of said plurality of preformed angled brackets and a floor of said deck; securing a first set of planks to a top portion of said plurality of braces to form a seat portion of said deck seat; and securing a second set of planks to an upper portion of said plurality of angled brackets to form a back rest portion of said deck seat.
 7. The method as recited in claim 6 comprises the step of providing a deck stop on each of said plurality of preformed angled brackets, said deck stop protrudes from a lower portion of said bracket to enable consistent placement of said bracket on said perimeter of said deck.
 8. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said step of attaching said plurality of right triangle-shaped braces to a floor of said deck comprises the step of bolting a floor end of each of said braces to an anchor member attached to a stringer under said deck floor.
 9. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said step of attaching each one of a plurality of right triangle-shaped braces to one of said plurality of preformed angled brackets and a floor of said deck comprises the step of positioning a first side of each brace parallel to said floor planks, a second side of each brace perpendicular to said floor planks, and a hypotenuse side of each brace extends between said preformed angled bracket and said floor of said deck.
 10. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said method comprises the step of attaching a safety plank to a lower portion of each of said angled brackets.
 11. A bracket for a deck seat comprising: a first section extending to a deck stop protruding from a side of said bracket; and a second section extending from said deck stop at a preformed angle relative to said first section.
 12. The bracket as recited in claim 11 wherein said bracket comprises channel steel. 